Correct the following sentences (any five) :

The verb 'explain' is a transitive verb that generally requires a preposition, usually 'to', before the indirect object (the person receiving the explanation). It does not directly take an indirect object pronoun (like 'me', 'him', 'her', 'us', 'them') without a preposition.

The correct structure is typically explain + direct object + to + indirect object.

    
• Correct: She explained the matter to me.
    
• Incorrect: She explained me the matter.

This rule distinguishes 'explain' from verbs like 'tell', 'show', or 'give', which can directly take an indirect object pronoun without a preposition (e.g., 'She told me a story', 'He showed me the way').

The original phrase "Writing of letter" is grammatically incorrect. When "writing" functions as a gerund (a verb form ending in -ing that acts as a noun) and is followed by a singular countable noun, it typically requires an article (a/an/the) before the noun. Alternatively, the noun can be pluralized without an article to convey a general sense.

In the corrected sentence, "Writing a letter is an art," the gerund phrase "Writing a letter" serves as the subject. The indefinite article "a" is appropriately used before "letter" to refer to the act of writing any single letter as an example of the general art. Other grammatically correct alternatives include "The writing of a letter is an art" (which is more formal and emphasizes the skill involved) or "Writing letters is an art" (which generalizes the concept to writing multiple letters).

The noun "hair" is generally uncountable when referring to the entire mass of hair on a person's head. As an uncountable noun, it takes a singular verb. Therefore, "hairs" and "are" should be corrected to "hair" and "is" respectively.

However, "hair" can be countable when referring to individual strands (e.g., "I found two gray hairs on my shirt"). In the given sentence, "His hairs are gray" implies the collective hair on his head, making the uncountable form appropriate.

I asked him whom he was calling.

In formal English grammar, the distinction between "who" and "whom" is based on their function within a sentence. "Who" is a subjective pronoun, similar to "he" or "she," and is used when it acts as the subject of a verb.

Conversely, "whom" is an objective pronoun, similar to "him" or "her," and is used when it acts as the object of a verb or a preposition. In the sentence "I asked him whom he was calling," the pronoun refers to the person being called, which is the object of the verb "calling" in the embedded clause "whom he was calling."

Therefore, to maintain grammatical correctness in a formal context, "whom" is the appropriate choice. While "who" is increasingly accepted in informal English even when serving as an object, "whom" is preferred in academic and professional settings to adhere to prescriptive grammar rules.

The original sentence "She has very little friends" is grammatically incorrect. The error lies in the use of the determiner "little" with a countable noun "friends".

Here's a breakdown of the correct usage:

    
• Little / A little: These are used with uncountable nouns.         
              
  • Little: Implies a negative meaning, meaning 'hardly any' or 'almost none'. E.g., She has little money. (She doesn't have much money).
              
  • A little: Implies a positive meaning, meaning 'some' or 'a small amount'. E.g., She has a little money. (She has some money).
          
      
    
• Few / A few: These are used with countable nouns.         
              
  • Few: Implies a negative meaning, meaning 'hardly any' or 'almost none'. E.g., She has few friends. (She doesn't have many friends).
              
  • A few: Implies a positive meaning, meaning 'some' or 'a small number'. E.g., She has a few friends. (She has some friends).
          
      

Since "friends" is a countable noun, "few" or "a few" should be used. The phrase "very little friends" should be corrected to "very few friends" to indicate a very small number of friends.

The original sentence "These suits are like." is grammatically incorrect because 'like' cannot be used predicatively as an adjective meaning 'similar' at the end of a sentence without an object. Here's a breakdown:

    
• 'Like' (Preposition/Conjunction): 'Like' primarily functions as a preposition (meaning 'similar to' or 'such as') or a conjunction. When used as a preposition, it requires an object to complete its meaning (e.g., "These suits are like those." or "He acts like his father.").
    
• 'Alike' (Adjective/Adverb): 'Alike' is an adjective or adverb meaning 'similar' or 'in the same way'. As an adjective, it can be used predicatively (after a linking verb like 'be') to describe two or more things that share similarities.
    
• Correction: To express the idea that the suits are similar, 'alike' is the correct word to use in this context. It functions as a predicative adjective completing the sentence.

Examples for clarity:

    
• Incorrect: "The two brothers are very like."
    
• Correct: "The two brothers are very alike."
    
• Correct (using 'like' as a preposition): "The two brothers are like two peas in a pod."